Compliment?

Recently it seems like I've had to spend a lot of time disciplining. I don't know whether it has to do with being cooped up because of the weather, or if it's a part of growing up, but the kids love to push each other's buttons, irritate, aggravate, and be down right mean to one another. I've preached plenty about love & kindness, but my words seem to fall on deaf ears. So then I have to take drastic measures & get creative.

My daughter was teasing her brothers, hiding toys from them on purpose, and delighting in their frustration. She hates to be alone, so I gave her a "time out" in a room all by herself & quoted Proverbs 21:9 - that it is better to live alone in an attic than with a quarrelsome woman - and reminded her that she would soon be playing alone because her siblings will not want to play with someone who irritates "just because". Those 10 minutes were misery for her, but she came back to apologize to her brothers & came in tears to tell me...

"Sometimes I think you're the meanest mom ever! But I know it's because you love me & you want me to learn a lesson."

Monday...

I’m in my kitchen frying pancakes. Frying pancakes is a mindless activity and my brain is going bloggy bananas. So I found a laptop (Thank you, Dad, for your hand-me-downs!) and my mind is beginning to relax.

We were all little disappointed this morning that school wasn’t cancelled. It was snowing, but the roads weren’t bad enough to justify a snow day. But Phil made up for it by arriving home shortly after we did. His excitement was contagious, and we all loaded up in the van & headed to “the sledding hill”, which isn’t really a hill at all, but a highway overpass. This is the first year we’ve had real sleds. We’ve always had make-shift sleds – pieces of cardboard, trays, cookie sheets, anything flat or smooth that we think will work. But we found a great deal on saucer sleds before Christmas & the boys were excited to try out their gifts. Especially since snow in Oklahoma is a rare thing!

An hour later, the kids were happy, rosy-cheeked and tired, and I felt refreshed after some much needed quiet time in the van. Phil went back to work to tie up loose ends, the kids got busy on homework, and I tackled the mess in my kitchen.

The pancakes are just about done…and I am too. An empty brain and a full stomach bring balance to life.

Leaks are not fun...

...but thankfully, I'm married to a man who knows what to do to fix them.

As we were cleaning up from our leak, we chuckled to find our son had stopped his - by stuffing Kleenex up his nose shortly before falling asleep.

God is with me...

I love reading through the papers the kids bring home from school, especially the creative writing ones. Here is one Grace did in Bible class. The words in bold were given to her & she filled in the rest.

God is with me when I am...

Outside on the playground
Making supper
Not doing what I am suppose to do
In my house
Playing outside
Reading American Diary's
Eating soup
Sitting on my bed
Early to do my chores
Next to my sister
Taking out my cat's litter

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

On a side note, she was a little too excited to find a book at the library named Ten Ways to Make My Sister Disappear. She cries when her sister is gone and she has to sleep alone, but she loves to find ways to push her buttons when she's around! ;) Go figure...

Why I am thankful for my "full-time" job

Lately it hasn't felt like I have been working full-time. When my little guy is sick or has a Dr's appointment, I get the day off. Though unfortunately, it's not the best circumstances for him, I have been thankful that I've yet to work a 5 day week. Having a flexible schedule has allowed me to go on some of my kids' field trips, catch up on housework & secretarial duties, and curl up on the couch with a good book. I'm also thankful that my little guy requires a nap in the afternoons. The teacher & I have discussed cutting this out, but when we do it proves disastrous. That boy needs his nap! ;) So I help the teacher with grading papers & have about 20 min. left to just relax. I bring my MP3 player and a book of Sudoku to work with me. Ahh...contentment.

So, thanks God, for this day off. You knew I needed it! ;)

Daniel's birthday

We had an extended birthday celebration this weekend. On Friday we had pizza, ice cream, and presents! I got a kick out of his giggles with each present he opened & sheer delight over a dollar store item!

I baked his cake Saturday morning & he had fun decorating it himself. Thanks, Grammie, for a great cake book! It, along with the birthday plate, have become steady traditions in our home.

Saturday night we had friends over for supper - sloppy joes & sweet potato fries. We laughed through ToyStory 3 and at the kids doing the "Paso Doble" afterwards! Thanks Jess, Sam, & Jake for coming to celebrate with your "cousins". ;)

Not a normal occurrence anymore...

These days, with the kids getting older, it's not very often they say something funny unintentionally. But when they do, I can't stop chuckling about it.

Poor Abbie. She was talking about the changes at school - "It's a whole new generation at school this year!" She's so animated when she talks, and though she's on the verge of teenage-hood, I couldn't help myself. I laughed until I cried. Then I explained the meaning of "generation". Then she made me PROMISE I wouldn't write it on Facebook. (Please don't tell her I cheated & wrote it on my blog instead.) :)

Noah - my skinny child with no body fat to warm himself. He's been wearing leggings under his pjs and the warm wool socks Aunt Jenny gave him when we went skiing in Colorado last year. He was getting ready for bed one night & proudly proclaimed, "Tonight I'm gonna be as toasty as...a piece of toast!"